In the preparation of paper, woven support belts are used for the initial casting and subsequent treatment of the paper. These belts are known as paper clothing. A variety of materials has been used in the manufacture of such belts, including metals, and, more recently, thermoplastic monofilaments. Thermoplastic materials which have been used in the weaving of these belts include nylon as well as polyester monofilaments.
A particularly satisfactory combination of materials for paper clothing is a polyester monofilament, woven in the machine direction of the belt, with transverse monofilaments composed either partly or entirely of a polyamide monofilament. Particularly in such applications, a need exists for a polyamide monofilament having improved resistance to abrasion when the abrasive force is applied transversely to the longitudinal dimension of the monofilament.